Pulmonary actinomycosis diagnosed by transbronchoscopic lung biopsy: A case report and literature review

Ding,Xing; Sun,Gengyun; Fei,Guanghe; Zhou,Xuexin; Zhou,Luqian; Wang,Ran

doi:10.3892/etm.2018.6483

Pulmonary actinomycosis diagnosed by transbronchoscopic lung biopsy: A case report and literature review

Authors:
- Xing Ding
- Gengyun Sun
- Guanghe Fei
- Xuexin Zhou
- Luqian Zhou
- Ran Wang
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Affiliations: Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230022, P.R. China, The First Clinical College of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230001, P.R. China
Published online on: July 19, 2018 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2018.6483
Pages: 2554-2558
Copyright: © Ding et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Pulmonary actinomycosis is a chronic, suppurative, granulomatous disease caused by Actinomyces israelii, an obligate anaerobe. The clinical manifestations and imaging characteristics of pulmonary actinomycosis lack specificity and can lead to confusion with tuberculosis and lung cancer. The present study reported a case of pulmonary actinomycosis diagnosed by transbronchoscopic lung biopsy and reviewed the literature on the disease. The clinical characteristics, signs, laboratory findings as well as progression, diagnosis and treatment in the case of pulmonary actinomycosis were analyzed. The patient was diagnosed by transbronchoscopic lung biopsy. After two weeks of antibiotic therapy, the cough was significantly improved and the patient's temperature returned to normal. Moreover, the lesion in the left lower lung was significantly smaller. Pulmonary actinomycosis is usually confused for tuberculosis and lung cancer. The present findings indicated that transbronchoscopic lung biopsy is a useful tool for diagnosing the disease. To conclude, doctors should have a clear enough understanding of the disease to prescribe empirical antibiotics and avoid unnecessary surgery.

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